Towards Hope
by Tsuki-no-Kurokage
Summary: Slight AU Hitsugaya Toushirou thinks he might have found the answer that Kusaka was speaking of. Kusaka could only smile at the answer. :: Main KusaHitsu, minor IchiHitsu ::


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Towards Hope

_Author's Note: Yes...I know I've promised some updates, but...they're not exactly ready. They need more careful planning out because I sort of wrote them while I was a tad bit...unstable. I needed to write something to get away from being too emo, and realised that my favourite character from Harukanaru is voiced by Ishida Akira. The character song, Kageri no Fuuin, is what inspired me for this. Prepare for a very ooc Kusaka, because I have no idea of what his personality can be like when he's the good guy; I just know he likes to laugh and smile a lot, so I tried to make him as optimistic as possible._

_Oh yeah, you might need to know the meanings behind different colours of roses in order to understand the ending._

_Disclaimer: I do not own anything concerning Bleach nor Kageri no Fuuin._

_Warning: OOCness, 'fake' past events (I don't know what they said exactly, so I made some up), slight spoilers for D-Dust, lack of descriptions towards the end._

* * *

Once, and no more did the wind set itself upon him. Twice, and no more did his feet sink into the sand. Thrice, and no more did the rain become a mere drizzle. He raised his head towards the heavens and closed his eyes as if in prayer; neither the lightning nor thunder could touch his will. There was nothing holding him back anymore.

Autumn leaves sprinted past the young adolescent making the trek up the hill as the winds grew stronger with each passing minute. The powerful tears of the skies pelted the earth and the people standing upon it. Yet he kept his head held low, arms stiff, fists clenched and feet firm, and carried on like nothing was bothering him at all. While everyone else down below was frantically looking for shelter, he was facing the storm all by himself for he refused to seek protection against the storm. While all the young children were crying and screaming for their parents to protect them, he made no noise except for the crunching of branches and leaves beneath his feet while moving on. The winds grew stronger; the skies, darker; and the storm, worse than before.

Wet mud and flattened insects clung onto his feet, while the rain was washing them away with the aid of the leaves which acted like rags. He closed his eyes, willing for the rain to just leave him alone; for the rain to bother someone else; for the rain to wash someone other than him. He did not wish to be cleaned. He did not wish to be bothered. He just wanted to make the damned trek up the hill; not being in the embrace of the winds nor in the midst of the rain's and the earth's fight. No longer did he wish to be dragged into another war anymore; no longer did he wish for anything else to happen ever again.

Lightning flashed across the sky while thunder screamed after it. The rain fell more heavily than before, bringing small shredded leaves and twigs to the young prodigy. He did not brush them away. A bolt of lightning struck against the ground before him, but he carried on and the charge miraculously dissipated into nothingness, leaving a charred pile of leaves behind. The burn seared both of his feet; beads of sweat flowed down like a river and replaced by the rain drops instead, the pain bringing stings to his eyes. But he moved on, and took it that nothing had happened. Thunder screamed, but he turned a deaf ear to it. Lightning flashed, but he turned a blind eye to it. He could only think of finishing his trip up the hill.

White locks came into his vision, but he refused to brush his hair away from his eyes. He had already long noticed how soft and vulnerable his hair was getting from the rain, and it was just a matter of time before it could finally give way and fall to the droplets. A strong gust of wind gave him a tight embrace, his hair and shihakushou flying about wildly while he was almost forced rooted to the ground. Decades of experience and training had given him the chance to move against the air force, carrying on with his trip. As he took a step closer and closer, he could feel himself getting heavier and heavier. And it wasn't because his shihakushou had soaked up the rain which came in his way.

It was like his heart was being weighed down by something. Something which he did not wish to talk or think about. And at the same time, he himself was being affected. The searing in his chest only grew more agonizing when he finally reached the top of the hill; the storm began to be at its worst as the trees behind him fell to the ground, and the earth started to rumble. His fingers drew blood as they bit into his palm, the crimson droplets oozing out finely and staining his nails. A small tower of ice before him grew more and more lifeless as the minutes ticked by. Droplets of rain trickled down the ice while the lightining struck the pile of leaves behind it, but the child did not shun away. He stood, firm and upright, eyes glued to the ice and unmoving. Blood oozed out at a quicker rate as he dug his fingers in further, trying to prevent himself from shaking.

"Kusaka..."

The name came out of his lips before he could do anything to stop himself. He shut his eyes and stood firmly, refusing to let his knees give way. "Kusaka..." Hitsugaya whispered as calmly as he could. He opened his eyes and stared at the kanij carved on the ice, reaching out and tapping on the cool surface, allowing the familiar reiatsu embrace him. "I'm...sorry, Kusaka. You ended up like this because of me. It is entirely my fault."

A familiar golden glow seeped into his mind as he saw his childhood friend clutching onto the royal treasure and bringing it upforth towards the darkened heavens. Soul Society would be done for, he knew, if he didn't stop him from destroying it. But he didn't think that Kusaka didn't understand his intentions for him. Instead...he thought the exact opposite. The words of what seemed to be the topic of betrayal had left him with a scar that he hid under his cold exterior, along with the many other scars of his past. Watching his grandmother freeze in her sleep because of his inability to control his power; being forced to fight his best friend over the matter of having the same zanpakutou; knowing that the same friend was going to die; having him back only to know that he wished to declare war with Soul Society; and losing the same friend twice only added salt to his bloody wounds.

The rain fell at its heaviest, keeping the young prodigy and the ice protected with its shield of water. It was as if it were respecting his wanted privacy; shutting out all of the trees, lightning, thunder, humans...in this world, there was only them: him, the ice, and the rain. It grew colder and colder by the minute, and he could feel his blood freezing into ice. But he didn't care. It was only just...for a little while longer. It hadn't been easy to get permission to come to the real world without no real reason, and it was best if he could get over this obstacle one last time...

The ice, he kept in his memories, was proof of their solid friendship back in the old days. They had risen to the top together, and without being an exception, they had gone on courses for hollow hunting in the real world before. They once stumbled upon a real hollow instead of the fake one; it had been a while before they knew of the name of the dragon residing within them, but they believed that the fight with the hollow had been some kind of trigger for them, for Hyourinmaru danced in the heavens even without the need to hear the call from its masters and eliminated the hollow instantly. To preserve that memory, Kusaka decided, they would construct a small ice block on that very area, so each time they had the chance to visit the real world, they could come and reminisce the very first time they had been able to release their zanpakutou without even knowing its name. That had been the first time Kusaka saw the block of ice, and it had ultimately become his last.

It still bore the very same reiatsu as it did many years ago, Hitsugaya knew. And each time he came to the human world, he would come to the hill and sense the same reiatsu before returning to Soul Society; when it was a long-term mission, he would visit the ice everyday and stay there for hours before he would search for a place to rest, or for a hollow to slay. Perhaps, if he hadn't been so used to sensing Kusaka's reiatsu, he wouldn't have had known that the one who interrupted the ouin ceremony was Kusaka himself, and perhaps...there wouldn't be any need to abandon his division and depart to seek his friend.

Would things have been different, then? He wondered, but came up with no answer for himself. All he knew was that there was no way he could turn back the second hand and prevent himself from ending Kusaka's life on Hyourinmaru's blade; the blade which they allegedly shared; the blade which served as a bond between them, and he had killed him with that blade. But why was it, he asked himself, that Kusaka's parting words bore a sharper pain than the blade of Hyourinmaru itself? It had felt as if both of them had been stabbed by their own zanpakutou; the wrist snapped and the sword twisted while lodged inside them. It had hurt, and no one knew.

Hitsugaya loosened, relaxing slightly, but already he could feel himself slipping away from reality; light-headedness soon sank in, mind drawing a blank at what to do after. "...I'll see you later, Kusaka. Farewell," he bidded, proceeding to turn and make a trip back to Soul Society. He was soon forced to stop, however, when he found his hand still stuck on the surface of the ice. It was literally refusing to let go as if binding him to it and drawing him closer. There was a possibility of his skin stuck to the ice due to its coldness, but he, as a wielder of ice, was already used to this kind of stickiness.

He made no move for his hand to keep away from the ice, however; he had certainly felt much better than he did when he first arrived with a blackened, depressed heart. It was like he was seeking the comfort his mind had denied but his heart had called out for, and the ice was giving him that kind of comfort. He was completely at ease, with neither pain nor burden which his mind could remember. The serenity overwhelmed his being, pulling him into a close and warm hold. It had a cool and tranquilizing effect, like the freezing ice flowing in his veins. _I know this reiatsu..._

"...Kusaka? You're here, aren't you?"

His question was met not with action, but with silence. Emerald orbs widened slightly as the ice gave off an icy blue hue, illuminating the showering area. The carved kanji of his and Kusaka's names were projected in the glow, sprinting back and forth from the ice to the young shinigami. Now his hand no longer felt bound to the ice, but being forced to stick to the ice by another force acting on his hand. The surroundings darkened to the dye of the heavens once more, the rain enveloping them in their very own world, but with the winds dying out, falling prey to the cold atmosphere.

Glistening teals watched with surprise as the force on his hand, now revealed to be another hand that was paler yet warmer than his, curled his fingers around his hand and brought it up to a small height. The emeralds followed wherever the hands went, and slowly glanced up at the mist of ice slithering around a shadowy figure. Minutes of silence ticked by as the mist finally cleared away, revealing the silky purple hair tied in a bun, and the rotting, scarred piece of the flesh surrounding the ruby eye. Hitsugaya sucked in the cold air sharply; Kusaka, the Kusaka who was slain by his blade and supposed to be dead, on his way to reincarnation...was still alive as a konpaku, lingering on in the human world. He had heard of a few rare cases such as this, for there were but a small handful of those who died within Soul Society grounds still remain as a konpaku but still technically 'dead', but he had never witnessed it before, so he never believed it when the 12th Division captain mentioned it in passing during a captain's meeting...it might've had been better if he had believed it.

"Toushirou," Kusaka called out, voice barely above a whisper. Hitsugaya blinked out of his daze, looking into the other's eyes and watching him smile at him kindly. The supposedly dead shinigami sandwiched the petite, tender hand with his own and stroked it smoothly. "You finally noticed my presence here..."

"What exactly happened, Kusaka?" he asked, not noticing the rising level of his voice. The scene of piercing Hyourinmaru's blade through his childhood friend's chest lingered on in his mind like the painful memory of having had to watch him getting dragged away by the guards, awaiting execution, and suddenly knowing that he was alive for the third time...it was just far too confusing, far too hard for him to handle all at once. Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes slightly and lowered his head, gluing his eyes to the ground. "I thought...you..."

The crimson-eyed shinigami could only continue smiling as he knelt down to his friend's height, running his hand through the other's soaked hair. His fingers curled and gently grabbed a few strands, feeling and remembering the soft, silky touch to the skin. Even after all these years, Toushirou's hair was still so delicately baby soft, and he felt so tempted to pull the poor child to a hug just to lend him more comfort than he gave him through the passage of the ice block. "Yes, Toushirou, I am no longer a proper konpaku in terms of body and power. However, even in the state I am in now, I have, for some reason, been bound to the ice here while on my way to reincarnation. That is what happened. But other than that, there is something else I wish to talk to you about." Hitsugaya still kept his eyes glued to the floor, clenching his free fist. "Toushirou, you must understand. What you're doing is not worth it."

"Not worth it? Are you trying to say that you're not worth it either?"

The question was met with silence before it was broken. "Yes. That is exactly what I'm trying to say." His grip tightened. "Listen to me, Toushirou. Forget about your plan to leave. Just continue your life in Soul Society as if I have never been a part of it; continue your life as if this person who's not worthy of being your friend has never been a part of it."

_...What?_

"_Toushirou..." Hitsugaya kept his heart hardened as the name slipped by his ears, but voice still ringing in his mind. "You...you are..." He bit his lip as he heard the dying gasps from the other whose body hung at the tip of his blade, blood spewing onto the tough, rocky area of the Soukyoku hill and staining the brown red. He reached out, and grabbed a hold of the white-haired captain's sleeve, making the other sink his teeth into his own lip further. "You are...truly the...prodigy..." Kusaka coughed, not noticing that the warmth he could feel on his chin had belonged to the crimson liquid flowing down from the edge of his mouth._

_And Hitsugaya himself didn't notice the blood oozing from his bitten lip, dripping and mixing together with the pool of Kusaka's blood. "Are we...still friends?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper. It had been a long time, but it felt like he had been his true self; the self which he had hidden from all the others in the Gotei 13, the self which he had masked so perfectly, and he had shown it for the first time in decades._

_"If...if...only if..." Kusaka choked in mid-answer, coughing out more blood, and gasped for air; without him realising, the white-haired prodigy was freezing Kusaka's insides via Hyourinmaru's blade, and had caused a severe malfunction of all of his organs. A firm, but trembling, hand went over to his wound where the blade was, and couldn't help but curl his fingers around the wound as well as the blade, causing more pain instead of attempting to relive it. Thin slits appeared on his palm, allowing blood to ooze out and fall to the earth, joining its comrades below._

_"Only if I were...still alive..."_

_Hitsugaya's eyes widened, a wave of regret and guilt sweeping over his entire being and engulfing him. His katana trembled while the blade was still causing unparralleled damage to the other's body from within; he couldn't bear to see Kusaka suffer like that anymore; he didn't want to know if his friend was suffering for his sake or not, for it had already hurt...too much._

_A certain orange-haired shinigami reached out to help but Hitsugaya merely shook his head without lifting his head and turning to face the other. If it had been any other situation, Kurosaki would gladly lend a helping hand, but for some reason this time, he was respecting the other's desire for space and privacy; just to be alone with his friend, for one last time. Hitsugaya stared into space, mentally thanking the substitute for everything, and then glanced at the purple-haired shinigami leaning towards him, clutching his sleeves tightly. He turned, refusing to look any further, and glued his eyes to the blurry images of the shinigami who gathered at quite a distance away, and closed his eyes shut._

_Kusaka held his head up, looking at the pained expression on his academy friend's face with the black dots infecting his vision, and smiled weakly. "Arigatou, Toushirou..." he mumbled, feeling himself slipping away from consciousness. The blackness ate into his surroundings; the numbness and exhaustion seeped into his soul; and the claps of thunder sounded more and more distant as the seconds went by. "Hontou ni arigatou...Toushirou...for being...my friend..."_

_Hitsugaya gasped as his eyes widened greatly, and instantly grabbed Kusaka by the back of his shihakushou. He felt the grip on his sleeves loosen as the body fell limp, threatening to pull the white-haired taichou to the ground as well. With a pained grunt, he tugged Hyourinmaru's blade out of his friend's chest, the metallic ring of the blade striking against the hard ground echoing throughout the area, and aroused gasps and widened eyes from the gathered shinigami. His arms swung over Kusaka's shoulders, pulling him closer for an embrace before Hitsugaya could do anything to control himself from doing the unexpected._

"What are you talking about, Kusaka!?" Hitsugaya yelled, breaking the uneasy silence between them. "How could you ask me to forget about you? We--"

"This isn't about us anymore, Toushirou! It's about you!" Kusaka argued, gripping Hitsugaya by the shoulders. "You know very well that the source of your pain is me, but you still cling onto me even after my supposed death all those years ago. I knew how hurt you must've been when we were told that only one of us could have Hyourinmaru while the other has to be executed; I knew how much being a shinigami means to you, and I had no reason to carry on being a shinigami if you weren't there with me, Toushirou. When I saw you offer giving up Hyourinmaru for my sake, I knew how painful it must've had been; I couldn't have that, Toushirou! I couldn't bear to see you in pain because of me!"

"I wasn't in pain, Kusaka."

But Kusaka wouldn't buy that. "You had a far greater reason than I do to become a shinigami; that's why I was the one being taken away. It wasn't your fault, Toushirou, it was mine. But when I learnt that the ouin saved my life, I wanted to return to see you. However, I knew of the consequences if I were to ever appear in Soul Society without a good reason, and thought of invading it instead. It was just so I could see you. When I heard that the ouin ceremony was to be held, I knew it was my chance to steal it and have the power to get into Soul Society...but I never thought I would see you in charge."

"...So...you cooked up the idea of getting revenge on Soul Society...just so you could get my attention?" When Kusaka gave a nod of his head, Hitsugaya gritted his teeth and raised his voice, "Bakayaro! What you did not only made me think the worst of you, but also forced me to get rid of you so that you wouldn't threaten Soul Society anymore! How could you risk your own life and speak of it so lightly, Kusaka!? How could you make use of me and Hyourinmaru to make your plan to see me a success!? All you could've done was come to my division and none of this would ever happen! Kusaka, you...you idiot!!"

The edges of his lips slowly curled to a sad smile as the purple-haired shinigami calmly loosened his grip on his childhood friend's shoulders, pulling him gently towards him in a calming embrace. "Gomen, Toushirou...I admit I didn't think of that," he whispered tenderly, stroking the other's hair. The white-haired shinigami frowned slightly, narrowing his eyes before closing them. He felt the young prodigy's body relax a little in his hold, and gently pushed him away from his chest, caressing his cheek instead. "Even if you think all of this is entirely your fault, I can still tell you that it's not. Toushirou, you don't have to bear everything by yourself; you only have a pair of shoulders that can bear a certain amount of weight before finally collapsing. It's only one pair, Toushirou; I can't imagine the day when it really collapses, and if it ever comes, I don't know what I'll do.

"So until then, would you promise me something, Toushirou? Promise that you'll be able to find someone who will be true to you to confide it?" Kusaka requested, smiling at his white-haired friend warm-heartedly. "Someone who won't cause you anymore pain; someone who will always be there to comfort you; someone who is willing to listen to you; someone who loves you, and cares for you? Will you promise me that you'll tell that certain someone what I want him to do?" Hitsugaya said nothing, and nodded his head. "I know you must be wondering if you would ever find someone as good as that, aren't you, Toushirou? Even if you don't know who it is, I think I already know the answer."

"..."

As if cutting in on an opportune timing, a small figure flew past them slowly, struggling against the strong gusts of wind with a bloody wing. It soon gave up, and fell to the ground, seemingly lifeless. Soft chirps which could be compared to that of sobs flowed out of its beak like a river, breezing past the couple in the rain. Just then, the entire area was filled with the sound of hopeful chirping, belonging to that of a mere small group of doves hovering above the hill as if in search for its missing companion. The injured bird, once lying on the ground as if hope had dried up like a river, immediately leapt to its feet, giving out a cheerful little song as it flapped its wings and took off, struggling with all its might, and finally joining with its friends again.

Kusaka's smile never wavered at the scene. "You see the dove over there?" he tried, but failed to gain the emeralds he was dying to look at. "The bird was lost from its flock of friends by the strong winds here, and it had an injured wing. When it realised that it was lost and that its companions weren't with it, it wept and gave up. But at that point of giving up, its friends showed up, and it finally regained the courage to fly back to its friends, now happily flying even with its injured wing." He gave his recount of the small tale which happened and held the other's hand with his own. "Toushirou, you are that dove. You are lost in the wind, not knowing where to go from here, or what you would encounter in the future. You are hurt, and you think that just because of a little wound you wouldn't be able to get back on your feet and stand with as much as pride as you had in the past. And like that dove, you're not alone, Toushirou. You have a lot of people who are worried about you, and do not wish for you to leave them just like that. You just need the courage to spread out your wings and fly back to where you truly belong; that will be when you will finally be happy with everyone you care about, and everyone who cares about you."

He gently cupped the other's face with his hands, smile still plastered on his face. "I care about you, Toushirou. And you know what? You're never alone. Because I will always be here, by your side, whenever you want me to be."

Without him knowing why, Hitsugaya immediately opened his eyes, finding himself staring into rubies that glistened a ray of concern and hope, and was so immersed that he didn't notice how cold his eyes had gotten. He was oblivious to how bright his own eyes were; oblivious to the rain and the wind; oblivious to the coldness in his eyes spreading to his cheeks, and sitting as still as a statue, unwilling to drive the comforting coldness away. It was like the cold was easing his pain; calming his heart; and minimising the unknown sadness to a minimum.

"Come now, Toushirou, don't cry anymore," Kusaka murmured smoothly, brushing the stream of tears away with his thumbs. "You look so much more beautiful when you're smiling, don't you know that?"

_That...Why does it sound so familiar...?_

The white-haired prodigy sighed and closed his eyes; his fingers twitched slightly as if suppressing an urge to wipe away whatever tears that were left on his face. He would not show any child-like behaviour like wiping his tears in front of anyone, even Kusaka, especially not after he had let his own guard down by letting the damned tears fall. Instead of him wiping the tears, Kusaka was more than glad to wipe them for him.

The rain soon started to clear, as did the winds beginning to calm down along with the thunderstorm. Kusaka glanced at the darkened heavens and released a sigh from its restraint. "It's almost time for me to leave now, Toushirou." Said white-haired shinigami looked at him with widened eyes. "But don't worry; I'll always be bound to the ice, and you may visit me whenever you want to. Remember your promise, ok?"

"...Kusaka..."

"Find that special someone, Toushirou; for the chance will come by soon."

The spirit departed for wherever he was bound to go; the shell surrounding them opening up and revealing the lone white-haired figure to the human world. A cool breeze replaced the outrageously powerful wind, blowing his hair cool and slightly dry, and brushing against his being, the iciness seeping in. Silence thickened the atmosphere before it was thinned and slain by a yell as sharp as a blade. Hitsugaya turned, suppressing a soft gasp when his eyes caught the familiar figure sprinting up the hill holding a bouquet of flowers sloppily, just like the clumsy bear he was.

"Toushirou, there you are. I've been looking all over for you," Ichigo complained as he caught his breath, tugging his collar and fanning himself with the flowers before realising the weird stare the white-haired prodigy was giving him. He soon stared back, earning himself a raised silvery white eyebrow. The orange-haired substitute only added fuel to the fire when he suddenly leaned in and brushed his fingers across the other's face. Before Hitsugaya could open his mouth to yell at him for being this informal with him, Ichigo spoke, "Eh, Toushirou, have you been crying?"

Emerald orbs widened. _How could he have known that...? _The thought still remained in his mind while he soon regained his composure, sending the offender a glare. "Of course not; don't be delusional, Kurosaki. I don't cry," he replied coolly. "And that aside...what business do you have with me?"

"Ah, I went to Soul Society to pay my respects to Kusaka, and I thought you'd be there so I brought these along," he motioned to the bouquet of flowers. "But Rangiku-san told me you came to Karakura, so...I just came."

"And how did you know exactly where I was?"

Ichigo blinked confusedly. "It was obvious, Toushirou. I sensed you; not much of a deal."

Sensed...the idiot couldn't get any dumber, could he? Hitsugaya had completely masked his reiatsu; even in his state earlier on, he hadn't released much of his reiatsu at all, otherwise Karakura would've had been filled with hollows. And Kurosaki was a complete failure at sensing others' reiatsu unless they were very strong and unrestrained. He was just unwilling to tell him how; he just knew it.

"Kurosaki, out with the truth. How did you find me?"

"I'm serious, Toushirou!" Ichigo protested. "Actually, I've always been able to sense you...Dunno why either. Hey, like, you know, the time in the forest? I thought I felt you there after what happened with the ouin ceremony thing, so I hung around, and poof, there you were." Hitsugaya was silent. "Oh, oh! And when you stupidly went out while you were still injured; man, I'm still pissed about that. I knew you went out 'cuz I sensed you outside, and went out too, to stop you. And...well, other than that, after I sorta passed out, I couldn't really sense you anymore, but I **did **know you went to Soul Society. Only 'cuz I knew Kusaka was going to go there and sorta figured you'd be there to, but that's all recently..."

"Recently?"

"A-ah! No no! I-it's not like I could sense you before, you know! It's only after what happened with the ouin and Hyourinmaru and Kusaka and all, or during that anyway."

Liar.

"...Toushirou, you should really loosen up a bit, y'know?" Ichigo suggested, staring at the scowling white-haired genius. "I wasn't exactly offending you, was I? _Warui_. But..." His lips curled to a warm smile. "You look so much more beautiful when you're smiling, don't you know that?"

_...That...!_

"Ahh! Don't think bad of me, Toushirou; I was just thinking out loud. No! No, I wasn't thinking anything at all, really really. Um..."

_...Kusaka...the someone you were speaking of...you said you knew the answer. Is it really...?_

Red and white later dyed his vision. His eyes traveled from the bouquet to the owner of the hand holding the bouquet out to him, and raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I got these for ya, 'cuz I figured you'd want some flowers to cheer you up. But if you don't want them, it's ok-"

"No."

"...Eh?"

"I want them, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya replied, lips curling to a faint smile. "I appreciate your concern."

He held the bouquet in his arms, earning jumps and yells of happiness from the human. His eyes were glued to the colours of the roses, reminiscing a certain time during his academy days, and his smile faltered a little. A warm hand held him close as if requesting for him to seek comfort in the person standing beside him. He sighed, and looked at the ice, not exactly giving Kurosaki an ideal answer. "...Kurosaki, do you know what red and white roses mean exactly?"

_...You know, Kusaka, I think you're right._

From above, Kusaka Soujirou smiled.

* * *

_"Toushirou? Toushirou!"_

_The white-haired child looked up from his book, eyebrow twitching slightly. "Nanda yo, Kusaka? Have you nothing to do right now?" he asked impatiently; of all times, he hated it most when people interrupt his studying, especially when the test was during the upcoming period, and that included Kusaka; especially Kusaka. He always had this fetish for annoying him on purpose whenever he was burying himself in books and notes._

_When his question was met with silence, it only annoyed the young academy student further. This was Kusaka's personal favourite, but also Hitsugaya's personal dislike; it was akin to wasting a few seconds of his precious time when he should be studying for the test. Both of them._

_Just as he was about to turn and look at the kanji again, a certain someone's hand came and pushed it downwards with the kanji facing the tabletop and a blur sweeped past his eyes. He grabbed it and settled it down, eyeing it closely. A bouquet of roses, bound together by a ribbon of white silk, was what met his eyes; a bouquet of twelve roses, to be exact. Four lavender, four blue, and four white. "It's for you, Toushirou." Hitsugaya stared at Kusaka with a raised eyebrow as if asking 'what the hell are you thinking', and Kusaka replied with a raised eyebrow as well, "My, it looks like bookworm Toushirou has forgotten his own birthday. Now isn't that just so sad."_

_"...Kusaka, my birthday was more than half a year ago," Hitsugaya retorted as-a-matter-of-factly._

_"Yes, but you only told me when your birthday is just yesterday. It makes sense to give my present to you today, doesn't it?"_

_"No it doesn't."_

_"Mah, Toushirou, don't be so blunt," Kusaka feigned hurt. "I saw how much you liked flowers so it didn't hurt to get you some."_

_"...I never said that I liked flowers."_

_"Hontou ka?" the purple-haired classmate asked teasingly, bending down to Hitsugaya's height level, and whispered in his ear, "Kinou, omae wa 'hana wa kirei' to itta ne, Toushirou." When a flush dyed the baby-like cheeks red, Kusaka laughed and moved away from his clasmate, obviously enjoying watching him getting so embarrassed over something so trivial. (A/N: "Really?" "Yesterday, you said 'flowers are beautiful', Toushirou.")_

_"I...I said no such thing!" the blushing academy student protested, grabbing his book and staring at it intensely._

_"Don't deny it, Toushirou. I heard you say that when you thought no one was around, you know." Kusaka paused and raised an eyebrow at the white-haired student who was supposedly studying very very hard for his test. "...Toushirou, you're holding the book upside-down." He furiously flipped the book in the correct position, mumbling something incoherently under his breath._

_Kusaka Soujirou could only smile._

* * *

And the ice stopped glowing.

_

* * *

_

Owari.


End file.
